EZBET Tiny House
Ezbet Abu Quarn, old Cairo, Egypt
Designing a tiny house for low-income and vulnerable individuals in a desert climate with limited resources is a challenging task. The house should have a courtyard to address the hot climate and protect against direct sunlight. Compressed rammed earth, an affordable and well-insulating material, will be used for construction. The ground floor will serve as a workshop for each family to work in.
This project was designed as part of my Master's studies program at DIA Hochschule Anhalt.
EXPLORING TINY HOUSES VERSION in CAIRO
Cairo is one of the oldest Arab cities in Africa and one of the world's greatest metropolises, with approximately 18 million inhabitants living or working in this hyper-dense megacity. The rapid population growth and city expansion have led to the emergence and proliferation of informal areas, which comprise around 60% of Cairo's population.
The residents of these informal areas throughout Egypt are predominantly low-income, often impoverished individuals. These areas and their inhabitants have faced marginalization and segregation from the broader community. Moreover, development plans for informal areas are frequently overlooked in the context of national sustainable development initiatives.
A significant number of residents in Ezbet Abu Quarn are employed in vocational jobs, benefiting from their skills and ability to learn quickly. Additionally, individuals without specific skills utilize the resources available in Ezbet to earn a living. Ezbet is renowned for its pottery work, paper recycling, and leather tanning industries. Moreover, it is abundant in waste resources, which serve as a primary source of income for its residents who sell discarded plastics and scrap materials.
Building with Rammed Earth
MALQAF-Air Movement by pressure differential
In hot climates, windows face the challenge of fulfilling three main functions simultaneously: providing light, ventilation, and views. To achieve proper ventilation, smaller openings should be designed, while larger windows are necessary for ample natural light, even though they may allow for more solar heat and hot air circulation.
The MALQAF, also known as a Windtower, is a vertical shaft positioned above a building with an opening facing the direction of the wind. Its purpose is to capture cool winds and direct them into the building. The use of a MALQAF has an additional advantage on an urban scale. In dense urban areas, where the built environment restricts airflow through narrow streets, regular windows may not be sufficient for ventilation. By designing wind towers smaller than the building's elevation, they have a reduced surface area, enabling airflow to reach other buildings without obstruction.
